Jakarta int'l film festival showcases new Asian cinemaBy Dini Djalal JAKARTA (JP): Before bankruptcies swept through Asia in the
last years of the 20th century, the millennium was going to be
called the Pacific Century.That judgment has been reconsidered. More ...

RI girl shuttlers crushed in World Junior C'ships JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian girls singles shuttlers failed to
make their way to the semifinals of the World Badminton Junior
Championships for the Bimantara Cups in Guangzhou, China, on
Thursday, sending an alarming message to the ... More ...

Three killed in latest landslide in Central Java PURWOREJO, Central Java (JP): Heavy rain over the past two
days in Purworejo caused a landslide on Thursday which killed
three people, injured six others and destroyed 10 houses,
bringing the death toll in the area from landslides to 51. More ...

Singapore struggles for victory over Laos SONGKHLA, Thailand (Agencies): Defending champion Singapore
was made to struggle here Thursday for its 3-0 victory over a
gritty Laos team to notch up its second win in the preliminary
Group B match of the Tiger Cup on Thursday. More ...

Is India throwing good money after bad?By Hirak Choudhuri NEW DELHI: Sometime later this month, according sources who
refuse to divulge their identity, there's going to be a trial run
of the T-90 main battle tank. More ...

Midwife gets 10 years in jail for abortions on 83 women BOGOR (JP): The Depok District Court handed down on Thursday a
10-year prison sentence to a midwife for performing abortions on
83 women in three separate maternity clinics in Depok between
September 1999 and February 2000. More ...

More deaths as Acehnese arrive for huge rally BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): At least 11 people have been killed as
hundreds of thousands of people from five regencies across
strife-torn Aceh defied security cordons to arrive at the capital
for a planned assembly this weekend. More ...

APEC faces risk from WTO failureBy Tony Hartono JAKARTA (JP): Integrating liberalization and economic and
technical cooperation objectives into a balanced agenda would
sustain the momentum of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
forum in Brunei, because it would meet the needs of both ... More ...

Achmad opens ICMI congress JAKARTA (JP): The third congress of the Association of
Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) was opened on Thursday by
its acting chairman Achmad Tirtosudiro, who stressed the
importance of human resources development. More ...

Cibinong, Polysindo to finalize debt plans JAKARTA (JP): Cement producer PT Semen Cibinong and integrated
textile company PT Polysindo Eka Perkasa are expected to finalize
their debt restructuring programs by the end of this year,
according to the Jakarta Initiative Task Force (JITF). More ...

Surcharge Correction: The second paragraph of the letter Postal
surcharge on Nov. 9 in this column says: "... contrary to the
Indonesian Postal Agreement". It should say "... contrary to the
International Postal Agreement". We regret the error. More ...

Protest mars anniversary MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Student demonstrations spoiled the
ceremony commemorating the 393rd anniversary of the South
Sulawesi capital of Makassar held at the legislative council
building on Thursday. More ...

Feisal Tanjung points at Soeharto JAKARTA (JP): Former Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) chief Gen.
(ret) Feisal Tanjung testified on Thursday that former president
Soeharto implicitly ordered the halt of a free speech forum at
the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters in July 1996. More ...

Men told to get into contraception Padang, West Sumatra: Khoifafh Indar Parawansa, chairwoman of
the National Family Planning Board, said one of the major
obstacles facing the country's family planning program was the
lack of participation and interest on the part of husbands. More ...

Authorities 'serious about arresting Tommy' JAKARTA (JP): Authorities on Thursday were quick to assert
their seriousness in the hunt for Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra
amid growing public skepticism as a nationwide search was
launched for the nation's most wanted fugitive whom they believe
is still ... More ...

Jihad force struggles to shed militant image JAKARTA (JP): Laskar Jihad, an army of Muslim volunteers sent
to the conflict zone in Maluku, is trying to shed its image as a
bunch of sword-carrying young men, an image it helped to create
when the group was established earlier this year. More ...

KONI needs to develop more young athletes JAKARTA (JP): In its effort to improve athletes performances
and reach higher levels of achievement in international
competitions, the Indonesian Sports Council (KONI) needs to
develop more young athletes and set priorities on sports featured
in the ... More ...

What's on at JiFFest this Saturday Brief History of Time (TIM 1, 4:55 p.m.)A film adaptation of Stephen Hawking's book about the origins
of the Universe. Morris has woven together graphics, interviews
and archival material in a story about both Hawking's life and
astrophysics (80 minutes). More ...

Four painters bring color to differencesBy Matdon BANDUNG (JP): For painters, their works are an expression of
their spiritual experience and at the same time, give them a
sense of spiritual comfort. More ...

Fight against terrorism must continue TOKYO: Japanese Red Army leader Fusako Shigenobu, wanted by
police for allegedly masterminding a number of international
terrorist attacks in the 1970s and 1980s, was arrested Wednesday
in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture. More ...

Province told to secure UN visit JAKARTA (JP): Coordinating minister for political, social and
security affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Thursday he had
ordered military and police chiefs in East Nusa Tenggara to
secure the visit of the UN inquiry team next week. More ...

Over 1 million people displaced nationwide: Govt JAKARTA (JP): Disaster and unrest have increased the number of
internally displaced people in the country to a staggering
1,050,000, officials said on Thursday. More ...

PSM to host Asian Club C'ships MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): The Asian Football
Confederation (AFC) has appointed the national league champion
PSM of Makassar to host the quarterfinals for the eastern Asia
zone of the Asian Club Championships next March. More ...

Agreement on 2,000 buses for city signed JAKARTA (JP): Amid doubts over the ability of PT Texmaco
Perkasa Engineering to produce high quality buses and the
uncertainty of their sales, the Jakarta chapter of the
Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) signed a
memorandum of ... More ...

The time is not ripe for a national AMC Calls by some political parties to establish a national asset
management company to buy the bad loans of local banks would be a
sweeping reversal of existing policy. It also would represent a
profligate waste of taxpayer money. More ...

Crack down planned on tax evaders JAKARTA (JP): The government announced on Thursday it would
soon launch a massive crackdown on companies, institutions and
individuals suspected of tax crimes. More ...

Indonesia crashes in Chess Olympiad JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's teams, men and women, failed to
score victories at the 11th round of the 34th Chess Olympiad in
Istanbul and had to face the fact that its ranking has been
dropping.Indonesian men's players had to bow out to Sweden 1.0-3. More ...

Officers equipped with gas pistols JAKARTA (JP): The increasing threat of violence faced by City
Public Order Agency personnel has led the agency to purchase 100
gas pistols, which are designed to incapacitate people, from the
police to aid its staff in dealing with stubborn street ... More ...

Clooney in adaptation of Homer's classic JAKARTA (JP): Adapted from Homer's classic piece The Odyssey,
O'Brother Where Art Thou is set in the 1930s, a period when
America was a junction of a number of great streams of sentiment. More ...

Indonesia plans to raise LNG export to Taiwan JAKARTA (JP): State oil and gas company Pertamina said on
Thursday that it was planning to export more liquefied natural
gas (LNG) to Taiwan from the Bontang LNG plant in East Kalimantan
and the Tangguh plant in Irian Jaya. More ...

Tourist visas in Indonesia Referring to the article published in The Jakarta Post on Nov.
3, 2000 entitled RI ponders fees for visas on arrival, I would
like to make the following comments:Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said
that Indonesians had been receiving unfair ... More ...

Jihad Force clarifies With reference to a news report published in The Jakarta Post
on Nov. 8, 2000 about the Laskar Jihad Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah
(Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah Jihad Force) in which it is said that
Ayip Syafruddin (chairman of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah
Communication Forum) failed to ... More ...

Bosnians urged to reject nationalism in weekend pollBy Philippa Fletcher SARAJEVO (Reuters): Across former Yugoslavia, voters have used
elections this year to turn their backs on the parties that led
them into war. More ...

Separatist flags in Irian Jaya to be lowered after Dec. 1 JAKARTA (JP): From Dec. 2 onward no separatist flags will fly
in Irian Jaya, independence supporters and the local authorities
agreed on Thursday."After Dec. 1, the Morning Star flag will no longer fly in
public places. More ...

Elusive convict and the right to suspect a conspiracy The process of arresting businessman Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala
Putra is yet another elusive case in bringing the high and mighty
to accountability. Criminologist Harkristuti Harkrisnowo shares
her views in an interview with The Jakarta Post. More ...

Income tax for expatriates The recent improvement in President Abdurrahman Wahid's
eyesight is evident in his statement pertaining to the abolition
of the ministerial decree on higher severance pay.Mr. Wahid states that "foreign people want to help us but we
make trouble for them". More ...

Repurchase of QAF shares by Salim 'unethical' JAKARTA (JP): Coordinating Minister for the Economy Rizal
Ramli said on Thursday that the repurchase of QAF Pte. Ltd.'s
shares this week by the Salim Group was "unethical. More ...

Pertina might train in Hungary JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Amateur Boxing Association
(Pertina) is considering holding its centralized training program
for the 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hungary. The games will be held in Kuala Lumpur. More ...

June Korean summit spurs global rivalryBy Harry Bhaskara SEOUL (JP): Pundits at a recent symposium here, mulling over
changes in inter-Korean relations, were not sure as to how the
political landscape would unfold in the region. More ...

Imports of oil equipment decline over security JAKARTA (JP): State-owned PT Surveyor Indonesia said on
Thursday security concerns were causing a significant decline in
imports of equipment for the exploration and production of oil
and gas. More ...

Wardah questioned over illegal rally JAKARTA (JP): Coordinator of the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC)
Wardah Hafidz, and an activist from the Philippines, Ted Anyana,
were brought to the City Police Headquarters on Thursday evening
for questioning in connection with the continuing rally by dozens
of ... More ...